MIX CHALLENGE - MC103 April 2025 - Submissions until 21-APR-2025 23:59 UTC+2/CEST

[scottfitz]

Hi all,

Here’s the link to my mix
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XUbXuW ... sp=sharing

Thanks to the song provider for this fantastic material and to Mister Fox for hosting, this has been yet another classic challenge.

My monitoring has been AKG371 headphones which are relatively low-end headphones but for some reason I get on well with them.

My intentions were to make it light and dreamy where possible. My feeling about it was fairly simple, that we have a warm modern pop song which needs a certain amount of danceability, but yet also needs a softer side to it at times.

My approach was a kind of semi-Brauerize approach where I used around 1/2 of the ideas that he typically uses.

Bass Processing
I have used a blend of the two bass tracks with a lot of 700Hz taken out of the DI one, then both get the following processing:
--------------------------------------------------------------
FabFilter EQ
lpf 5.7kHz, hpf 20 Hz, -3dB @ 150z

FabFilter C2
ratio 5.3, attack 23ms, release 100ms, doing at most 8dB GR

FabFilter EQ
+3dB low shelf @100Hz

FabFilter EQ
+2.5dB small bell @1kHz

FabFilter C2
sidechained to kick doing 2-3 dB GR at most

FabFilter Saturn
Clean Tube Saturation from 200Hz upwards

UAD LA-2A
doing a further 2dB GR
---------------------------------------------------------------
OK, that’s all from me I hope you like the mix, I really loved working on the track and good luck all.

[Mark929]

Hello,

My mix - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZYRye1 ... sp=sharing

I mixed this record with groove and vibrancy in mind. Once I heard the song and starting balancing, I let the song take me. I had a vibe and just kept it going and this was my outcome.

I use Yamaha HS8 Studio monitors in a fairly treated room. I have tuned them with the graphic EQ on my Behringer X32.

Drum Bus - EQ, Parallel Comp
Drum Elements - EQ

Bass - EQ and side chain compressor

Main Vocal - EQ, Comp, EQ, DeEsser, Delay and Reverb
Other Vocals - EQ, Comp, Reverb

All Other Instruments - Pre-amp emulation, EQ

Master - CLA Mixdown, The God Particle

Hope you enjoy my mix! Thank you!

[Alex Van mixland]

Hello,
Here is my mix:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HYAwZt ... sp=sharing

I twice came to this song to mix with. The second time I was able to achieve a sound and balance that I think is much more professional, compared to the reference mix. I use the reference mix, however, to be sure that all the details can be heard in my mix as well.

1)Drums - I completely redid, making them less boxy and more modern.
2)Bass - I use compression, a parallel compression and cut at 200hz, because it was bothering whole mix. I used different amp, but i didn't changed it, but blended to original sound.
3)Vocals - I used a lot of automation, to improve the balance, also for different parts of the song i used automation on reverb, delays... Main vocal needed
4)Instruments: added reverb, some stereo effect and get in balance with drums and vocals

Cheers!
Alex

[John Rowley]

Hi All
Link to my mix submission
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kIDX1C ... sp=sharing
Headphones Ollo X1, Daw is Cakewalk
Quite a simple approach to this mix.
Kick drum used Eq then transient shaper as a lot of ring, and compression
Snare buss used EV2 Channel strip and short long rev, same on toms, Congas I used EV2 Channel strip. Bass gtr mixed both DI and Amp through EV2 Channel strip and Tubetech blue saturation. Piano and synths compression and Tubetech blue saturation.
Rev cymbal and rise used some long delay to blend into the next section.
Grouped the guitars into sub busses with compression on each and short rev then on gtr master buss added Tubetech blue saturation.
All vocals had compression then BVs had short reverb and convolution reverb with Tubetech saturation. Lead vocal had compression short reverb and Tubetech saturation. Added a separate Lead vocal throw with short reverb and delay in the chorus for effect
Panning was 100%, 80%, 75% on guitars for width. Bass 10% L and R (DI and Amp), Piano 35% L for Verse and 35% R for Chorus, Synth Pad 30% L and 30% R (in bridge), Backing vocal li and re were respectively 10% L and R with the BV3 in centre. Drums HH 15% L, OH 10% L, Room 10% R, Claps 25% L and Claps Mod 25% R, Whistle Ac 25% L, whistle synth 25% R. Overall these pan settings will give more width, depth, height and space to the mix. Finally SSL G Bus compressor on the master bus.

Hope you enjoy it!
John

[Dudeism]

Hola folks!

The Mix
It doesn’t sound as dry and lo-fi as the demo mix because the demo already nailed that vibe, so I aimed for a cleaner version.

Monitoring Situation

I’ve had HUGE troubles properly monitoring stuff until I started using the MetricAB VST. The spectrum analyzer is perfect for seeing how the frequencies of one’s song are distributed in comparison to other tracks. You can also switch super fast between many different important references and can ISOLATE FREQUENCY RANGES incredibly quickly. Especially helpful for EQ-ing the mids. Besides using the Sennheiser HD 6XX for some final adjustments, everything was mixed on 10 € headphones from Amazon—on a train ride—and it probably shows haha (hope not).

Mix Goals & Reference

Overall, I tried to get close to the dynamic range of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and give the track the same insane high-end frequency energy and brightness but without the low-fi feel and more dynamic.

Processing & Plugins

I used Maximus VST for every compression task, the stock Transient Processor for simply enhancing or taming transients, and a lil stereo-widening preset I made with Fruity Flanger—I think it sounds way smoother than a chorus or typical stereo widener somehow (with only a bit of mono damage).
Pro-Q4 IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The things that plugin can do are unbelievable. The spectral EQ is sooo flexible and transparent, it’s mind-blowing. Like for simple resonance taming—and, way more importantly, slight resonance boosting—it sounds sooo lively imho.
The guitar uses Valhalla’s Shimmer reverb for some airiness.
And the thing that ties it all together is Gullfoss. It is the most insane plugin by definition. What Soundtheory is doing is beyond everything. It took an eternity to actually figure out how to predict sounds with it…

[PistolPete]

Loudness_Value;-16.3 LUFS
Max_True_Peak_Level;-7.26 dBTP
Sample Rate;48.000 kHz
Bit Depth Left;24 bit
Bit Depth Right;24 bit

My Monthly Submission Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1baQPPv ... sp=sharing


Well for this month I'm excited to celebrate upgrading my old Steinberg UR22 to a RME UCXII interface. Along with it I picked up Sonarworks for my cans and my monitors. I also upgraded my Cubase 10.5 Pro to the new 14 release. And what a better way to do that with a German entry for this month hopefully it helps my mixes translate better.

Mixing Setup:
RME UCX II
Sonarworks SoundID speaker and headphone calibration to a slightly modified flat curve (flat midrange bumped treble and bass)
Sennheiser HD600 headphones
Fostex PM5.0 monitors
AMD PC running Cubase 14Pro
Direct out from RME to a Presonus Central Station
ITB mixing

Monitoring Plugins:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1He9njb ... sp=sharing

Plugins: many different ones from Waves, Soundtoys, Plugin Alliance, Brainworks, Klanghelm.

This was a fun song to mix. Thanks to @strange for allowing us to mix it.
I read the artists notes, and imported the raw files. Did normal session setup. Didn't listen to the provided mix until I got to a decent pre mix level.

The song submitter wanted a happy vibe, so I started mixing to get a good happy feel focusing on brightness in the eq, openness and fullness.

Vocals:
The vocals I wanted to reduce some of the verb so they were easier to work with. I focused on the backup vocals volume automation a lot to really help them move in the mix using delays, volume, verbs and panning. Later I added verb back in along with with multiple delays on the main vox.

The original files the files were clean, well recorded I focused on adding my own "flavor" to the mix and working on the things mentioned above. I focused mostly on bringing out the bright happy vibes, automation to give the song movement, feel and good stereo image. I really liked the vibe of the song so I hope I did it justice in my choices, and didnt' stray too far from the artists vision.


Mix Setup and Approach:

I used a Brauerize type style, using 4 main compressors/distortion plugs that all main channels are sent to, with about 2 db of gain reduction and 2db of compression. All of these are sent to the MIX BUS

• Global Drums and Bass - Decapitator, IDX Intelligent COMP, Harris Doyle EQ
  Global Guitar - Devil Loc Delux, Puig Tec EQ, Harris Doyle EQ
  Global Keys-synths= IDX intelligent COMP, TBTECH Kirchoff EQ
  Global BGV and wide instruments- API-2500 comp
  Global Vocals - CLA76 comp and MAAG EQ4

I also used additional sends for FX, Distortion, Reverb and Group Specific FX. These are all use parallel with various instrument and vocal channels as FX sends. All of these send to the MIX BUS

• Global FX tape: Kramer tape
  Global FX reverb- LX480
  Global FX reverb 2 Brainworks Aura and Echoboy

• FX BASS COMP - Lindell MBC, Linedell 69 channel Bass rider
  FX Drum Saturation - Abbey Road Saturation, Lindell MBC
  FX Vox COMP - Lindell MBC, Vocal Rider, Abbey Road Plate, Doubler, LX 480

Instead of going through all the channel details, here are screenshots:

Bass and Drums
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pUGUBi ... sp=sharing

Guitars
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1brM1Fd ... sp=sharing

Synths and Vox
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p5VNwa ... sp=sharing

Global FX sends and Mixbus
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jvQEAu ... sp=sharing


MixBUS
I mixed into a AMEK Mastering Compressor for some glue followed by "the Oven" plugin which is kind of like a multiband tone saturator. Ialso used the 3 body transient plug to add a little extra glue and crunch.I also picked up that new baby audio smooth operator so decided to throw it on and it just made everything sound better and more dimensional in subtle ways.

Stereo Out
Just a L1 limiter set at 0 theshhold and -1.3 output to control overs.

[pabloAT]

Hello,

I want to extend my gratitude to the song provider and Mr. Fox for providing such an intriguing track to mix. I learned a lot throughout this process. Below is the Dropbox link to my mix:
[Dropbox link to MC103]

In my mix, I aimed to enhance the concept of "motion." To achieve this, I focused on several key aspects:

- Extensive use of automation and panning
- Careful adjustment of the attack and release settings on the mix bus compressor
- Subtle application of flangers and spatial processors like WoW Thing, Real ADT, and others
- Utilization of various tape machine emulators.

For monitoring, I primarily relied on my trusted Sennheiser HD650 headphones paired with the SoundID Reference plugin. Additionally, I occasionally checked the mix using VSX (NRG studio) and did a lot of listening with my cellphone and Sennheiser Momentum (1st generation).

I am very interested in receiving feedback on my mix, even if I don't proceed to the second round!

Thank you very much.

Cheers,
Pablo

[maxovrdrive]

First, thank you @Strange for the song. I hope this won't be the last.
Thank you @Mister Fox for keeping it all together.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UxIblr ... sp=sharing


The song practically mixed itself. The sounds do work well together. I like the give and take during the verse... gives that bounce. The smoother chorus provides the release. The guitar fills provide a lot of character.

As the arrangement is sparse, it's easy to hear if the balance is off.

Mixing through calibrated Samson monitors in a spare, treated room, with unorthodox dimensions. Twelve years in this room.

I don't usually have mix intentions, as I let the song dictate the direction if the client gives me full rein. Given tracks, I simply provide the best possible outcome to serve the song.

I hope I succeeded in enhancing the feeling/meaning.

Cheers!

[Drannob]

Hey @Strange , thank you for this "easy to mix" track! To me this is a really nice produced song, everything is good, sounds good and have it's place, nice done!

Here is my mix: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kr3U6n ... drive_link

Hope everything is good.

About my mix, I tried to go by feel after reading the art direction. I don't know if it sounds like Pharrell's Happy because I deliberately didn't listen to it; I preferred to go without thinking. I'm quite happy with the result and I even want to use it in my portfolio (I saw that you allowed that) because I think I have something interesting (and I hope I'm not off base).

Regarding the mixing tools... Full ITB, I started on my laptop with my Ollo S5X headphones and a Fosi DS-2 converter, then I ended up in the studio because the laptop's CPU was running out of steam, lol. In the studio, I still use my S5X headphones but with an RME sound card (FF802). Sometimes I control my mix with speakers (Event Opals and Yamaha HS50), but I didn't do that here. I may have used my old S4X to control the vocals, but I'm not sure. From memory I made the static mix (V1) in 1h30 then I experimented with things, made automations etc and in the end I spent 3 hours on it. Probably there was an hour that was useless lol but I like to try things.

Thanks again

[ohthatpete]

Hi,

I'm new here, new to mixing (taking lessons and enjoying it), and completely stumbled on this competition, so I thought, why not? I can learn from any feedback. I haven't done any creative mixing yet, so I have had a couple of weeks to a. practice the mix, then b. read the rules and try to understand everything so hopefully I have ticked the boxes, or at least got near!

Thank you to Strange! for providing such a cool catchy track and easy-to-download stem set.

Thoughts:

So firstly, I popped it on in the car on the school run (yes, after two days the kids are singing it too, with every change I made) and I thought after a while, it seemed a normal occurrence, driving with recollections of the same journey, so I thought about how I could add this in. I also didn't add too much reverb or delay effects to the vocals (more at the end) as I found it didn't fit the sound with me driving in the car, so it's as normal (with little accents here and there) as the download. However, going back to our daily journey, I decided to fade out the lead vocal towards the end, almost like a ghost of a previous journey, a memory, and let the backing vocals carry on, then fading one of them too slightly as another distant memory. I also increased the volume of the whistling towards the end, like when you hear someone whistling as they pass you. Finally, the Congas - I loved them, pushed them through the entire mix, found them to give me a sense of funk (in need of a better word!).

I also added a Reverb Plate 140 to the verse guitar as a change, maybe a little too much, but I found it really gave it more presence, especially at the start, and also used a tunnel reverb on it, and I thought about that when driving and how to incorporate this. It might have cut out some other tracks, though ekk.

Other information:

No hardware, sorry, just computer and DAW-based.
Vocals into Melodyne for a little help (and it helped me learn more).
VST's UAD 1176 / Pulteq's / FabFilter Pro Q4 / Pro C2 / Soundtoys Effect Rack / Rev Plate 140

I've used mainly 3 sorts of headphones to mix with, changing every so often. AIAIAI studio (open), Steven Slate VSX (closed) and also, and don't laugh, my phone's earbuds. I also switched to my speakers, which are Yamaha HS8's with some room acoustics, but not a huge amount, as the kids shout at each other, so headphones are my go-to at this moment.

Thank you for the fun and learning this great track, really enjoyed it.

Link: https://shorturl.at/IZo0A

Hope the link works and I am looking forward to hearing any feedback on my new venture